Clare won’t underestimate Cork challenge

Clare football coach Ephie Fitzgerald has rubbished suggestions they will encounter a fragile Cork outfit in Sunday’s Munster semi-final.

Cork were on the receiving end of a 1-21 to 2-7 league final hiding by Dublin at the end of April, but the Nemo Rangers clubman does not believe the Rebels are a mentally-beaten docket for the championship.

“Cork will go into this game full of confidence, fully confident, certainly, of beating Clare,” said Fitzgerald.

“They have taken three hidings in the last two years, but they have come from Dublin and Kerry. Dublin and Kerry are streets ahead of everyone else at the moment. They have taken beatings, but they’ve also given out some, especially in the national league.

“They have been a bit inconsistent if we are to be honest about it. I think they will go into Sunday’s game looking at it as a good test before the Munster final.” The challenge for Clare, according to Fitzgerald, is to produce a 70-minute performance. The Banner were far too inconsistent in the league and, indeed, in their Munster quarter-final win over Limerick where they almost let slip a six-point second-half lead.

“We’ve been falling out of games for 20 minutes and conceding five and six scores. If we drop off on Sunday, Cork will punish us. In [Colm] O’Neill and [Brian] Hurley they have two of the best finishers in the game.

“Stepping up to the pace of the game will be another big challenge. Division 3 is fine, but it doesn’t prepare you for Division 1 teams.”